The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024: List of nominees for soccer prizes including Lionel Messi and Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola may be enduring a rough time of things at Manchester City, but he is among the candidates to win a prize at the 2024 Best FIFA Football Awards.

The City manager is up for the men’s coach award at the ceremony — FIFA’s rival to the prestigious Ballon d’Or gala — which takes place in Qatar on December 17.

City striker Erling Haaland is up against the likes of Lionel Messi and the Real Madrid trio of Kylian Mbappe, Vinicius Junior and Jude Bellingham for the men’s player award, while Aitana Bonmati is among the favourites for the women’s gong.

The iconic Puskas Award for the best goal of the year will also be presented at the gala dinner. The complete list of prizes up for grabs is below.

MORE: Complete list of prize winners at the 2024 Ballon d’Or gala

What are The Best FIFA awards?

The Best FIFA Football Awards have been handed out since 2017 as part of FIFA’s plan to create an award solely within its organisation.

Briefly, FIFA partnered with France Football for the Ballon d’Or award, but that ended in 2016. Football’s governing body then embarked on its own set of awards for the top players and coaches in the sport.

The Ballon d’Or has been in circulation since 1956, and despite FIFA’s global standing as a football entity, The Best awards still have some catching up to do to be considered of the same prestige as the Ballon d’Or.

The Best FIFA Football Awards 2024 nominees, final shortlists, prizes

Best FIFA Men’s Player

Real Madrid dominate the shortlist for the Best Men’s Player award after winning La Liga and the UEFA Champions League in 2023/24.

• Dani Carvajal (Real Madrid / Spain)
• Erling Haaland (Manchester City / Norway)
• Federico Valverde (Real Madrid / Uruguay)
• Florian Wirtz (Bayer Leverkusen / Germany)
• Jude Bellingham (Real Madrid / England)
• Kylian Mbappe (PSG/Real Madrid / France)
• Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
• Lionel Messi (Inter Miami / Argentina)
• Rodri (Manchester City / Spain)
• Toni Kroos* (Real Madrid / Germany)
• Vinicius Junior (Real Madrid / Brazil)

*Retired after Euro 2024

Best FIFA Women’s Player

Spain star Aitana Bonmati, winner of last year’s prize and the Ballon d’Or Feminin holder, is the favourite.

• Aitana Bonmati (Barcelona / Spain)
• Barbra Banda (Shanghai Shengli/Orlando Pride / Zambia)
• Caroline Graham Hansen (Barcelona / Norway)
• Keira Walsh (Barcelona / England)
• Khadija Shaw (Manchester City / Jamaica)
• Lauren Hemp (Manchester City / England)
• Lindsey Horan (Lyon / USA)
• Lucy Bronze (Barcelona/Chelsea / England)
• Mallory Swanson (Chicago Red Stars / USA)
• Mariona Caldentey (Barcelona/Arsenal / Spain)
• Naomi Girma (San Diego Wave / USA)
• Ona Battle (Barcelona / Spain)
• Salma Paralluelo (Barcelona / Spain)
• Sophia Smith (Portland Thorns / USA)
• Tabitha Chawinga (PSG/Lyon/Malawi)
• Trinity Rodman (Washington Spirit / USA)

Best FIFA Men’s Coach

Guardiola will hope to defend his award, but Carlo Ancelotti and Xabi Alonso are considered the favourites.

• Carlo Ancelotti (Real Madrid)
• Lionel Scaloni (Argentina)
• Luis de la Fuente (Spain)
• Pep Guardiola (Manchester City)
• Xabi Alonso (Bayer Leverkusen)

Best FIFA Women’s coach

Sarina Wiegman won the past two awards, but the England boss is not among this year’s nominees.

• Arthur Elias (Brazil)
• Elena Sadiku (Celtic)
• Emma Hayes (Chelsea/USA)
• Futoshi Ikeda (Japan)
• Gareth Taylor (Manchester City)
• Jonatan Giraldez (Barcelona/Washington Spirit)
• Sandrine Soubeyrand (Paris)
• Sonia Bompastor (Lyon/Chelsea)

Best FIFA Men’s goalkeeper

Emiliano Martinez, winner in 2022, will be hoping to claim back this prize. Last year’s winner, Ederson, is again among the nominees.

• Andriy Lunin (Real Madrid / Ukraine)
• David Raya (Arsenal / Spain)
• Ederson (Manchester City / Brazil)
• Emiliano Martinez (Aston Villa / Argentina)
• Gianluigi Donnarumma (PSG / Italy)
• Mike Maignan (AC Milan / France)
• Unai Simon (Athletic Club / Spain)

Best FIFA Women’s goalkeeper

Alyssa Naeher and Mary Earps are among the leading names for this prize.

• Alyssa Naeher (Chicago Red Stars / USA)
• Ann-Katrin Berger (Chelsea/NJ/NY Gotham/Germany)
• Ayaka Yamashita (INAC Kobe Leonessa/Manchester City / Japan)
• Cata Coll (Barcelona / Spain)
• Mary Earps (Manchester United/PSG / England)

FIFA Puskas Award

The FIFA Puskas Award is always highly sought-after as it honours the best goal scored that year. In 2024, this is restricted to men’s football only, as the women’s game has a separate prize.

• Hassan Al Haydos (Qatar vs. China)
• Terry Antonis (Melbourne City vs. Western Sydney Wanderers)
• Yassine Benzia (Algeria vs. South Africa)
• Walter Bou (Wool vs. Tigers)
• Michaell Chirinos (Costa Rica vs. Honduras)
• Federico Dimarco (Inter Milan vs. Frosinone)
• Alejandro Garnacho (Everton vs. Manchester United)
• Mohammed Kudus (West Ham vs. Freiburg)
• Denis Omedi (KCCA vs. Guitar)
• Paul Onuachu (Trabzonspor etc. Konyaspor)
• Jadon Philogene (Rotherham United vs. Hull City)

FIFA Marta Award

The Marta Award is given to the most aesthetically pleasing goal in the women’s game this year.

• Delphine Cascarino (Lyon vs. Benfica)
• Marina Hegering (Essen vs. Wolfsburg)
• Sakina Karchaoui (France vs. Sweden)
• Paulina Krumbiegel (Duisburg vs. Hoffenheim)
• Marta (Brazil vs. Jamaica)
• Nina Matejic (Serbia U-19 vs. England U-19)
• Beth Mead (Arsenal vs. West Ham)
• Giuseppina Moraca (Lazio vs. Bologna)
• Asisat Oshoala (Barcelona vs. Benfica)
• Mayra Pelayo (Mexico vs. USA)
• Trinity Rodman (USA vs. Japan)

FIFA Men’s and Women’s 11

The inaugural Best FIFA Men’s and Women’s 11 lineups will be announced at the ceremony. These are decided purely via a fan vote.

FIFA Fan Award

The FIFA Fan Award is given to a fan or group of supporters who “help make the beautiful game exactly that”.

• Jose Armando
• Craig Ferguson
• Guilherme Gandra Moura

FIFA The Best former winners

Below is the full tables of former winners in the main awards since 2016.

The Best FIFA Men’s Player Award

The Best FIFA Men’s Goalkeeper Award

The Best FIFA Men’s Coach Award

The Best FIFA Women’s Player Award

The Best FIFA Women’s Goalkeeper Award

The Best FIFA Women’s Coach Award

FIFA Puskas Award — the prize for the best goal